BI expects 40,000 to 50,000 daily arrivals, departures in summer, Holy Week

FILE PHOTO: Passengers form a line at the Bureau of Immigration counters in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 on April 10, 2017. INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — Daily arrivals and departures in the country are expected to reach 40,000 to 50,000 during the summer and Holy Week as COVID-19 restrictions are easing, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Friday.

Currently, the BI is recording around 30,000 arrivals and departures per day but the agency is bracing for an uptick in numbers in the coming weeks.

“During Holy Week po as summer season enters, siguro nakikita natin na maaaring papalo ‘yan sa around 40,000 to 50,000 per day,” BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said in a Laging Handa public briefing.

(During Holy Week as the summer season enters, we see arrivals and departures to hit around 40,000 to 50,000 per day.)

“This is a big difference po from the past two years na talagang lugmok po ’yung ating turismo,” she added.

(This is a big difference from the past two years when our tourism was in a slump.)

In preparation for the anticipated influx of passengers, BI personnel are prohibited to take leaves.

“Ipinag-utos po ni Commissioner [Norman] Tangsingco na bawal po munang mag-leave yung ating mga frontliners during the peak season. So this is March, April,” Sandoval said.

(Commissioner Tansingco ordered frontliners to not take leaves during the peak season. So this is March, April.)

Personnel were advised to defer their vacations until the end of the peak season to maximize their manpower, the spokesperson noted. — MJ Soriano,  INQUIRER.net trainee